For the last twelve years, m50 has been making a name for himself using a variety of small footprints, rather than leaving a crater behind. His production styles, under which he uses the alternate alias Area, contain elements of both ambient music influenced by abstract soundscapes and dancefloor tracks that are deep, dark and driving. His early releases around 2004 involved remixes with Elleinad, a one-woman IDM project based out of Toronto, while his upcoming release on Wave Music is a new, refined sound for him; one that still holds true to the experimental atmospheres that colored the greatest parts of Warp and Skam's early catalogue, but also embodies the minimal dancefloor sound that is being touted by Audion or Kompakt's expanding Speicher series.

Though born in Canada and recently residing in Berlin, m50 has spent most of his musical career in Chicago, where he thrived in the underground scene playing with the likes of Ellen Allien, Superpitcher and Kevin Saunderson at Smart Bar, one of the best and oldest venues for electronic music in Chicago. For as long as he's been a DJ, m50 has kept his musical growth on public display, charting his favorites in Urb, Juno, Beatport, Resident Advisor, CMJ and BPM magazines. Remixing frequently, he also hosts a weekly radio show on WNUR (89.3 FM) on Friday nights in Chicago.

Area believes that his greatest influence comes from within his career. “DJing informs production and productions informs DJing,” he says. While a good read or friends may enliven his work, he's driven to dedicate himself to keeping his mind in the studio and his hands on the boards. Many of the m50 DJ sets would mesh best on a bill shared with Koze, Move D or Cassy, who are all producers that have an inarguable sense of warmth in their style. Deep and sexy house selections are a presentation they've mastered, and some of Area's newest tracks work like a blanket of sound to keep the feet moving on a dancefloor. “Missing A Few” is a saturated sound that undulates echoed bells and tightly knit melodic vibrations before it catapults forward and up with a throbbing rhythm. Benjamin Brunn's remix of “Llpod” offers a softer, synthier side that jazzes down the original version.

Often on the move, m50 may be in the process of transitioning from one city to another. Much like his musical styles, he's never been particularly rooted in one place, and that's enhanced his desire to tour around the world. His past itinerary already includes armfuls of cities and festivals, and has been a factor in his long remix history, which includes working with Andrew Duke, Steve Pointdexter and Mikkel Meyer. He has recently been DJing with a heavier lean towards dub styles, letting the bass be his spokesperson in the club and infusing electronic music with his own textured, humane touch.

Sound Sample Key

MP3 - In order to hear MP3 files you will need the appropriate client installed, such as Winamp for Windows.